METHOD OF UNLOCKING AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE BASED ON MOTION RECOGNITIONS, MOTION RECOGNITION UNLOCKING SYSTEM, AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE INCLUDING THE SAME

• US 20150248551A1
• Filed: 03/03/2015
• Published: 09/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Kwang-Hyuk Bae, Kyu-Min Kyung, Seong-Yeong Jeong, Shung-Han Cho, Tae-Chan Kim
• Inventors: BAE, KWANG-HYUK, KYUNG, KYU-MIN, KIM, TAE-CHAN, CHO, SHUNG-HAN, JEONG, SEONG-YEONG
• Granted Patent: US 9,805,184 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/36 by graphic or iconic representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2151 Time stamp

Abstract

A method of unlocking an electronic device based on motion recognitions generates motion information by detecting a user'"'"'s motion, calculates optical flows based on the motion information, converts the optical flows into a code by sorting and grouping the optical flows based on predetermined reference directions, generates a comparison result indicating whether the code is consistent with a predetermined password by comparing the code with the predetermined password, and determines whether to unlock the electronic device based on the comparison result.

Claims

1. A method of unlocking an electronic device based on motion recognition, the method comprising:

generating motion information by detecting user motion;

calculating optical flows based on the motion information;

converting the optical flows into a code by sorting and grouping the optical flows based on a set of reference directions;

generating a comparison result indicating whether the code is consistent with a predetermined password by comparing the code with the password; and

determining whether to unlock the electronic device based on the comparison result.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the motion information is generated as a stream of events or as series of frames.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the motion information is represented as motion vectors, and the optical flows are calculated based on a vector operation between the motion vectors.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the user motion relative to an X-Y coordinate plane is detected, and the reference directions include at least one of an X-axis direction in the X-Y plane, a Y-axis direction in the X-Y plane, a diagonal direction in the X-Y plane, a rotational direction in the X-Y plane, and a Z-axis direction perpendicular the X-Y plane.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the password corresponds to information in which the reference directions are arranged in a sequence of times.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein converting the optical flows into the code includes:

assigning sub-codes to the optical flows based on the reference directions; and

sorting and grouping the sub-codes including by sequentially arranging the sub-codes individually along a timeline.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein converting the optical flows into the code includes:

assigning sub-codes to the optical flows based on the reference directions; and

sorting and grouping the sub-codes including by temporally correlating the sub-codes, by spatially correlating the sub-codes, or by temporally and spatially correlating the sub-codes, and sorting and grouping the sub-codes including by sequentially arranging the correlated sub-codes individually along a timeline.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein generating the comparison result includes:

generating a sequence comparison result by comparing a sequence of the code with a sequence of the password;

generating a synchronicity comparison result by comparing a synchronicity of the code with a synchronicity of the password; and

generating a first comparison result indicating that the code is consistent with the password or a second comparison result indicating that the code is inconsistent with the password based on the sequence comparison result and the synchronicity comparison result.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein generating the first comparison result or the second comparison result includes:

generating the first comparison result when the sequence comparison result is greater than a sequence-similarity reference value and the synchronicity comparison result is greater than a timing-similarity reference value; and

generating the second comparison result when the sequence comparison result is smaller than the sequence-similarity reference value or the synchronicity comparison result is smaller than the timing-similarity reference value.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein determining whether to unlock the electronic device based on the comparison result includes:

determining to unlock the electronic device when the comparison result is the first comparison result; and

determining not to unlock the electronic device when the comparison result is the second comparison result.

11. A motion recognition unlocking system comprising:

a sensor unit configured to generate motion information by detecting user motion;

an optical flow calculation unit configured to calculate optical flows based on the motion information;

a code generation unit configured to convert the optical flows into a code by sorting and grouping the optical flows based on a set of reference directions;

a password storage unit configured to store a password corresponding to information in which the reference directions are arranged along a timeline;

a comparison unit configured to generate a comparison result indicating whether the code is consistent with the password by comparing the code with the password; and

a control signal generation unit configured to output an unlocking control signal based on the comparison result, the unlocking control signal indicating whether to unlock an electronic device.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the sensor unit includes a time based optical sensor or a frame based optical sensor.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the optical flow calculation unit calculates the optical flows based on a vector operation between motion vectors representative of the motion information.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the code generation unit assigns sub-codes to the optical flows based on the predetermined reference directions, sorts the sub-codes individually, and groups like ones of the sub-codes together along a timeline.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the code generation unit assigns sub-codes to the optical flows based on the predetermined reference directions,

temporally correlates the sub-codes, spatially correlates the sub-codes, or temporally and spatially correlates the sub-codes, and

arranges the correlated sub-codes along a timeline.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the comparison unit generates a sequence comparison result by comparing a sequence of the code with a sequence of the password, generates a timing comparison result by comparing a synchronicity of the code with a synchronicity of the password, and generates a first comparison result indicating that the code is consistent with the password or a second comparison result indicating that the code is inconsistent with the password based on the sequence comparison result and the synchronicity comparison result.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the comparison unit generates the first comparison result when the sequence comparison result is greater than a sequence-similarity reference value and the synchronicity comparison result is greater than a timing-similarity reference value, and

wherein the comparison unit generates the second comparison result when the sequence comparison result is smaller than the sequence-similarity reference value or the synchronicity comparison result is smaller than the timing-similarity reference value.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the control signal generation unit outputs a first unlocking control signal for controlling the electronic device to be unlocked when the comparison result is the first comparison result, and

wherein the control signal generation unit outputs a second unlocking control signal for controlling the electronic device not to be unlocked when the comparison result is the second comparison result.

19. An electronic device comprising:

a plurality of function modules;

a motion recognition unlocking system configured to detect user motion and to determine whether to unlock the electronic device;

an application processor configured to control the function modules and the motion recognition unlocking system, the application processor including a main processor that operates based on a first clock signal and a sub processor that operates based on a second clock signal having an operating frequency that is lower than an operating frequency of the first clock signal; and

a power management integrated circuit configured to provide the function modules, the motion recognition unlocking system, and the application processor with power,

wherein the motion recognition unlocking system includes;

a sensor unit configured to generate motion information by detecting user motion;

an optical flow calculation unit configured to calculate optical flows based on the motion information;

a code generation unit configured to convert the optical flows into a code by sorting and grouping the optical flows based on a set of reference directions;

a password storage unit configured to store a password corresponding to information in which the reference directions are arranged along a timeline;

a comparison unit configured to generate a comparison result indicating whether the code is consistent with the password by comparing the code with the password; and

a control signal generation unit configured to output an unlocking control signal based on the comparison result, the unlocking control signal indicating whether to unlock the electronic device.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein the power management integrated circuit provides the motion recognition unlocking system and the sub processor with the power when an operating mode of the electronic device is a sleep mode, and

wherein the power management integrated circuit provides the function modules, the motion recognition unlocking system, and the application processor with the power when the operating mode of the electronic device is an active mode.